


Other Uniforms Will Fit

by booksandboxsets



Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Character Analysis, Costumes, M/M, One Shot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-25
Updated: 2014-10-25
Packaged: 2018-02-22 14:57:00
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,594
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2511770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/booksandboxsets/pseuds/booksandboxsets
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Ian was unusually quiet as Debbie prepared to leave the house, remaining silent instead of offering her words of encouragement. There were no compliments, no advice, no nothing. He just sat there observing, leaving his siblings to do all of the talking.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Other Uniforms Will Fit

**Author's Note:**

> i really hope this is half decent because i have very strong feelings about ian and his army dreams. and mickey, obvs. may be slightly ooc/slight bullshit but idc.  
> triggers: mentions/implications of mental illness and homophobia

Ian was unusually quiet as Debbie prepared to leave the house, remaining silent instead of offering her words of encouragement. There were no compliments, no advice, no nothing. He just sat there observing, leaving his siblings to do all of the talking.  

Nobody really noticed, or maybe they didn't want to. It was entirely possible that they were ignoring his silence intentionally, letting themselves enjoy it. They had become fed up with his inability to stop talking these past few weeks, had become so annoyed by his onslaught of manic words that they were now welcoming this pause in his constant stream of mutterings. Why shouldn't they relish in it for a while, worry about it later?

Ian knew this wasn't the case, knew that in reality they were just too busy gushing over Debs. Despite knowing this, the thought still crossed his mind; the thought that he slipped by unnoticed by the ones who were meant to notice him most.

Mickey would always notice.

This was true now; Ian's lack of contribution was picked up by the Milkovich almost instantly. He was watching Ian watching Debbie, his brows furrowed at the distant look in his partner's eyes. Normally Ian would eat this shit up; his younger sister's first fancy dress party, seemed like the kinda crap he would like. Instead he was completely reserved, not even bothering to pretend enthusiasm. Mickey didn't get it.

Just as Debbie was about to open the door, she turned back around, looking directly at Ian. Perhaps Mickey wasn't the only one to hear his silence. 

"Are you sure this is okay?" Debbie asked her older brother, gesturing at her outfit. So that's what this was about, her costume, Mickey could have smacked himself for not realising sooner. 

"Yeah Debs, it's fine, don't worry about it," Ian replied, forcing himself to fake a smile. The tightness in his response did not go undetected by Mickey, or Debbie apparently, who still seemed hesitant to leave.

She looked towards Mickey, who didn't notice at first, completely focussed on Ian. Debbie could tell that Mickey was concerned, causing her to become increasingly worried; when Mickey thought something was up, nine times out of ten, something was.

Mickey eventually felt the lingering sensation of someone staring at him and turned towards Debbie, who was clearly reluctant to leave. He nodded in her direction, trying to assure her that it was okay to go. She had been excited about this party for ages, had bored Mickey half to death going on about it - she shouldn't miss it. 

She looked towards Ian one last time, and seemingly satisfied, opened the door and left.  _Mickey's there, he'll look after Ian._

_*_

They were sitting on Ian's bed, having made their way upstairs after Debbie's departure.  

"Wanna tell me what that was all about?" It wasn't a demand, and Mickey had put no aggression behind the question. He wouldn't force Ian to talk if he didn't want to. 

"I dunno Mick, just..." Ian paused, sighed before continuing, "I didn't seem mad at her did I? Because I'm really not mad at her, for wearing the costume I mean."

Mickey knew this, Ian wouldn't have given Debbie permission to wear the 'costume' if he hadn't been comfortable with it. He knew that it wasn't so much that Debbie was wearing it, that it was something else that was bothering Ian.

"What is it then?"

"I guess I'm just annoyed that I'm not the one wearing it," Ian added a small, sarcastic chuckle onto the end, almost as if he was laughing at himself, "I know, it's dumb." 

It wasn't dumb at all in Mickey's eyes, he got it. 

 

//////////

 

_"Ian?" Debbie said his name like a question, approaching him almost reluctantly._

_"Yeah, Debs?"_

_She seemed almost afraid to continue, as if she was about to touch a nerve, open a wound of some kind, cross a line. But Ian was looking at her with his usual openness and she realised that she was being stupid, Ian wouldn't get mad. The worst he could say was no._

_After taking in a deep breath, she began, "I understand if you say no, but... Holly's got us invited to this fancy dress party, and seeing as I can't really buy a costume I've been trying to find something around the house_ _, and I really have tried to look for anything else, I even looked through Carl's stuff, but this idea came into my mind and its just been the easiest thing I could th_ _ink of, I won't do it if you don't want me to, it's just that I think it would probably look quite good and not stupid like most of the other idea's I've had, pretty much the only other thing I can think of is using a sheet to be a ghost, but it's not even Halloween and I would be laughed at loads..."_

_The words were rushing out of her so quickly. Ian realised this is how he must sound when he's going off on one, gushing at a hundred miles an hour, fighting to get in as many words as possible between each breath. His family must get tired of it, Debbie's little bombardment was exhausting enough._

_"Whoa Debs, slow down," Ian knew he was the last person in the world who had the right to say that, but he didn't like seeing Debbie getting worked up. He smiled in an attempt calm her, "why'd you need my permission for this costume idea?"_

_Debbie stared at him, the silence a complete juxtaposition to her previous rambling the minute beforehand. Ian had wanted her rambling to stop, but now that it had he wasn't so sure, this quietness was somehow more unnerving. He really didn't need people to tiptoe around him, he could handle it._

_"Debs, seriously, c'mon."_

_She averted her eyes, and shrugging her shoulder slightly, she went ahead and said what she had come here to say, "I was thinking... thinking that I could go in an army costume... well, your uniform."_

_More silence._

_"I know you cut up the trousers... but I could just wear my own shorts and tie up the shirt at the front or side, wear the hat, put some camo paint on my cheeks, and Carl's got that gun he found..."_

_"Really thought this through, huh?"_

_Back to silence._

_"Debs, it's cool, I'll go find it, it's not like I've got any use for it now ," an air of regret was laced in Ian's tone. As soon as the sympathetic look he had become so accustomed to started to make it's way onto Debbie's face, he abruptly ended his pity party, and with a laugh in his voice he said, "you'll look way better in it any ways."_

 

//////////

 

No, Mickey didn't think it was dumb at all, he got it more than anyone. 

Just like Ian wasn't annoyed with Debbie for wearing the army outfit, Mickey had never been annoyed with the men that openly showed their affection for other men. His old anger and frustration directed towards them was completely misplaced, because truly, he was never really bothered by them, he was more bothered by the fact that he could never  _be_ them, could never  _have_ what they had. Or so he had thought, but he had finally got there, finally achieved his dreams.

As had Ian - Ian, who had finally got to the army, only for it to be taken away from him. 

Mickey could understand that too.

He had had everything he wanted, only for Ian to leave, only for Ian to not get out of bed. Having something you had desired for so long being ripped away from you was not an experience Mickey wished to relive. Ian however, was currently living it, and the fact that he was annoyed by the uniform he could no longer call his own was completely understandable. The annoyance stemmed from the same place that Mickey's annoyance had stemmed from when he had punched his bathroom mirror; it stemmed from wasted potential, from thinking about what could have been if things were different. But Ian had returned to Mickey; he would not return to the army. 

Thinking about it crushed Mickey. Ian had spoken about this dream for years, he had watched the kid work for it, and yes, Mickey might be more than slightly relieved that there was no longer a chance of Ian going off, getting shot and never returning to him (because that would crush him more, crush him completely). But still, the fact that Ian wouldn't get all that he had been aiming for made a large enough dent in Mickey, leaving Ian with an even bigger one.  _As if we aren't fucking battered enough already._   

Ian scratched at his tattoo, frowning down at it. Yet another thing which had lost it's meaning. Mickey stopped him though, grabbing the redhead's hand within his own, squeezing it slightly.

"You did look good in that uniform," Mickey confessed, "maybe you'll just have to get a new one, become a firefighter or some shit seeing as you so desperately wanted a job that could get you killed."

Ian laughed, the kind of full-on laughter he only reserved for Mickey's comments - it was one of Mickey's favourite sounds.

He didn't just want to cheer Ian up though, he also wanted Ian to know that he  _understood_. So he worked with what he knew best; actions, putting all of that understanding into a hand running through hair and lips upon lips.


End file.
